A Portland police officer shot and killed a man Monday afternoon in Southwest Portland's Hoyt Arboretum, but the victim's name and age were unavailable Monday evening.

Few details emerged about what led to the incident, which took place shortly after 3 p.m. after police responded to the arboretum on reports of some sort of disturbance. The shooting took place shortly after they arrived.

"There was one officer involved in the use of deadly force," said Detective Mary Wheat, a police spokeswoman, "but other officers were responding."

View full sizeShe said the incident took place near the Hoyt Arboretum offices and parking lot, 4000 S.W. Fairview Boulevard, across Fairview from the arboretum shelter, a popular outdoor venue for weddings, parties and other events.

Investigators on Monday night said they wanted to talk to witnesses who left the scene before they could be questioned by police. They were asked to call the police bureau at 503-823-9319.

Wheat said investigators have already talked to some witnesses. But she did not say how many. Nor would she say if the man who was shot was armed.

“We will release more information tomorrow," she said. "We have not been able to interview the officer that’s been involved in this.”

In most cases, she added, the officer is interviewed within two or three days of the shooting.

The arboretum is part of Washington Park, a vast expanse of urban forest that stretches from U.S. 26 on the south to Burnside Street on the north. It is just uphill from the Oregon Zoo and the Oregon Vietnam Veterans Living Memorial.

Several houses are in the general area, but Wheat said there are no homes close to where the shooting took place.

She said she would not answer questions about the specifics of the shooting, only that an officer "did fire his weapon" and that an adult male was deceased.

Also on hand at the park in the aftermath was Portland city Commissioner Dan Saltzman, whose duties include supervising the Police Bureau.

He talked to reporters near where the shooting happened, saying he had come to the popular Southwest Portland park to see things for himself.

"Any time there's an officer-involved shooting with a fatality, it's a major concern," Saltzman said. "I wanted to come up here and get the facts."

He declined, however, to give any more details about the shooting.

News of the shooting first was released about 3:50 p.m. Monday when a
news release was issued, saying that "officers made contact with a
subject and it has been reported that shots were fired."

Officers on the scene issued a call for medical assistance a short time
later, followed still later by news that a person had been shot and
killed.

The shooting marked the second time this year that a Portland officer
has shot and killed someone while on duty. The first took place in late
January when Officer Ronald Frashour shot and killed Aaron Campbell, a
resident of Northeast Portland.

The Campbell shooting, which took place Jan. 29, led to a public outcry
that snowballed into a series of demonstrations. The situation
intensified after a grand jury found there was no criminal wrongdoing by
police but criticized the police communication and coordination at the
scene.

Since then, there have been multiple calls for a reviews and revision of
Portland's system of reviewing police actions.

By late afternoon Monday, dozens of police officers were still on hand
near where the arboretum shooting took place, and detectives had arrived
to investigate. Police tape was stretched across roads and the Police
Bureau's mobile command center -- a large RV with special equipment --
was parked near the scene as investigators combed the area for evidence.